When it comes to remodeling a bathroom, a lot of people get caught up in worries about resale value issues and thus wind up with something quite blah. The truth is that a lot of trends come and go, and a perfectly plain and popular standard overmount sink that’s the only option available one year can be passé just a few years later when undermount sinks are all the rage; that polished nickel you loved so much and seemed like a no-brainer may fall out of fashion like brass did after the 1980s (brass is back, by the way). No matter how exquisite you found your ever-popular granite pick, the next year marble and Caesarstone could come in and kick it right out of Elle Decor forever.

Depressing, right? Nah. When it comes to remodeling a bathroom, if you’re not planning on moving within five years, go ahead and do what you love.

Go mad with marble:

photo by Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Avant-garde design goddess Kelly Wearstler designed this gorgeous bathroom for her daughter. The walls and floor are covered in an eye-popping inlaid marble pattern.

photo by Eric Piasecki for Architectural Digest

In interior designer David Kleinberg’s own apartment he went for striped marble, down the floor, and up the vanity, backsplash, shower stall and wall.

My calculator exploded when I tried to add up how much the marble in those two bathrooms cost, but they are beautiful inspiration.

Add unique lighting:

Photos by Sean Fennessy, production–Lucy Feagins / The Design Files

In a playful nod to Magritte, these bowler hats dangle over a freestanding bathtub with modern lines.

Warm up neutrals with lots of texture:

photo by Noah Webb

Coastal Modern master Tim Clarke warmed up a neutral-colored bathroom with pebbled shower walls. They lend an outdoor shower feel to this spacious shower stall.

Add unique artwork and accent pieces:

In addition to the brightly colored patterned tile, the homeowner’s patina style dressing table, lady in bright yellow portrait and lucite stool add loads of personality to this delightful bathroom. I would never want to leave it!

Paint a vintage clawfoot tub an unexpected color:

photo by James Merrell for Living Etc.

I also love the way they’ve added this unique schoolhouse map as art. It’s something that is easy to switch out if you’re tired of the bathroom.

What would you do if money/resale/reality in general were no object in your bathroom?

So the other day I fell down the rabbit hole, browsing pictures of celebrity homes on InStyle.com, and I came across Kelsey Grammer’s kitchen in the Hamptons. All I could think of was Frasier’s ultramodern (minus Dad’s hideous recliner) Seattle bachelor pad. Now some song about tossed salad and scrambled eggs is going through my head.

I love those tiles, that ceiling, the blue and white, the touches of rich wood and the overall lightness of this kitchen. It looks like you could transport it to Sweden and besides its huge size, no one would know it came from the far end of Long Island New York. It’s just shocking to see something so traditional from a guy who I will always associate with one of my first exposures to a fantasy modern luxury abode. Knowing how much everyone in Hollywood moves, he probably doesn’t even live in this house anymore. This was the only picture I could find online of Frasier’s kitchen:

Hmmm, there weren’t enough design blogs around when Frasier was actually on the air, it’s tough to find pictures of that kitchen. However, during my search, I’ve learned that his couch was an exact replica of Coco Chanel’s, that the set included a Chihuly sculpture that had to be locked up ever night after filming because it was worth $30,000, that one of the paintings was by Robert Rauschenberg, that there is an “I Hate Frasier Crane” site, that I can waste a lot of time ogling television set sites…I finally realized the only way to get a good shot of the kitchen was to buy the Season 1 DVD, which apparently has a tour led by set decorator Roy Christopher. Despite the great actors and my love for Cheers, I wasn’t a huge fan of Frasier (too much annoying bickering and canned laughter), but I may just have to buy that DVD for the 9-minute tour, it sounds fantastic.

I was struck dumb by this bathroom renovation by flickr member BearZest:

BearZest and his partner live in the countryside in Portugal. I think what I love most about this room are the glossy, oversized, orange-red tiles on the wall. What an astounding difference this remodeling job makes! To check out the guest house for mature men that they run in Portugal, click here.

After seeing Kristen Bell’s Hollywood home in the last issue of In Style, I decided to try and find out more about her designer, Stacey Vurduris. She has a few of her projects up on flickr, right here. Below are a few of my favorites, which feature great texture achieved through using beautiful tiles:

To see more of Stacey Vurduris’s work on Flickr, click here. Her website is here. The Kristen Bell In Style spread is here. Here’s a peek, God I miss Veronica Mars!

This month Thomas Wold thinks “outside the home” for his monthly ReadyMade article. Most of the furniture Thomas creates is crafted for an indoor atmosphere, therefore requiring a controlled setting to survive. Put any of his pieces outside and Mother Nature will eat away at his painstaking craftsmanship and design. So, why not try building for Mother Nature? The project: “Build a Tiled Chair to Withstand the Elements”…

A key ingredient to this project was material selection. Tile rose to the top of the list for its durability and Thomas used its square shape to dictate the design of the chair. Imagine the possibilities of tile for your own outdoor DIY projects…like cubed side tables or a rectangular coffee table!

Check out the June issue of ReadyMade Magazine for the deets on how to make tiled furniture for your own backyard.

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